Mariners pick up first win

The Pacifica High girls’ tennis team captured its first win in Empire League play last week. It did the deed with a 10-8 victory against Tustin High on Thursday, Sept. 19 at home.

“It’s been a good season,” Pacifica head coach Hoang Le said. “We are learning how to win.”

The Mariners improved to 3-1 overall and 1-1 in league play with the victory. They won most of their points in doubles action, accumulating 7 of 9 sets.

Though the Mariners struggled in singles play, their No. 1 player impressed with another outstanding effort. Freshman Irene Le, 14, swept the competition to remain unbeaten this year. She topped No. 1 Tiffany Nguyen and No. 2 Claudia Nguyen with 6-3, 6-2 victories. The Mariners then needed three points to clinch during the third round, and Le earned the game-winning set with a 6-1 triumph against No. 3 Jacky Perez.

Le’s effort improved her season record to 12-0. She trains at the El Camino Real Tennis Center, where she practices with coach Robert Manuel.

“Everything was working today,” Le said. “My forehand, and my serve, were probably the strongest, lough.”

Two of the Mariners doubles teams captured all three sets. This included the No. 1 tandem of Brittany Tran-Emily Kim (6-3, 6-3, 6-1) as well as No. 2 Christine Chan and Tiffany Le (6-3, 2-6-2,6e-2).

Pacifica fell to Kennedy, 10-8, in its league opener. It returned to action against Garden Grove High on Tuesday, Sept. 4 (no not available) and will face Valencia on Thursday, Sept. 26. That contest will take place on the road at 3 p.m.

“We play in a very tough league,” said Le, who cited Yorba Linda High as the favorite to capture the league championship.